


kaleidoscope eyes sparkle at the world

by sonlali



Series: Fics from Season Six [13]
Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Episode: s06e12 The Pitch, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-29
Updated: 2020-03-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:20:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23380804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sonlali/pseuds/sonlali
Summary: patrick and stevie have a conversation following the rosebud motel team's trip to NY.
Relationships: Patrick Brewer & Stevie Budd
Series: Fics from Season Six [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1621702
Comments: 18
Kudos: 76





	kaleidoscope eyes sparkle at the world

**Author's Note:**

> slight spoilers for s06e12 the pitch
> 
> title from "Kaleidoscope Eyes" by Panic! at the Disco

Patrick excuses himself from David and Alexis’ room, but the Roses are so preoccupied with their celebrations that they don’t even notice. He wanders around the back of the motel to the picnic table where he finds Stevie sitting with a beer in each hand. 

“Little early to start double fisting beer already, don’t you think?” Patrick jokes as he sits down across from her. 

Stevie shoves one bottle across the table toward him and rolls her eyes. “This one’s for you, Brewer.”

“How did you even know I was coming out here?” he asks.

Stevie just sighs and gives Patrick an impatient look. 

“I’m not _that_ predictable!” But Patrick knows that isn’t the truth. He is predictable, and Stevie knows him well. He isn’t sure how to feel about Stevie knowing him so well as to predict when he would excuse himself and where he would go with enough accuracy that the beer is still cold, while David seems to not know him at all. Patrick internally scolds himself. David does know him. He just seemed to think Patrick would be totally on board with uprooting his life—

“So, you seem thrilled about our good news.” Stevie interrupts Patrick’s spiraling thoughts.

“Sorry, sorry!” Patrick focuses his attention back on Stevie, determined to shelve his worries for now and congratulate his friend. She’s giving him a piercing stare, like she had just been listening in on his thoughts, and Patrick feels mildly unsettled. He takes a long swig from his beer to stall for time, and Stevie just raises an eyebrow like she knows exactly what he’s doing. She probably does, Patrick thinks. “Just got, uh… a lot on my mind. Anyway, congratulations, Stevie! I’m really happy for you that today went well.”

“Yup,” Stevie finally looks away and takes a drink. “It started out pretty rough, but Mr. Rose really… I mean, you should have seen him. He was really in his element, and I even started… I mean, I didn’t do much, but—”

“I’m sure that’s not true, Stevie. Mr. Rose may have taken the lead, but that’s only because he has several decades of experience on you. You’ve been putting a lot of work into preparing this pitch, so I have no doubt that you—”

“Can we not do this right now?” Stevie cuts Patrick off with a shake of her head, like she’s flicking off an irritating fly. Patrick’s mouth snaps closed. “It’s just… today was already a lot and I can’t really handle your sincerity right now. Just imagine that you said really nice things, I was moved, we are both very proud of my tremendous achievement, and then we moved on. Sound good?”

Patrick nods mutely and raises his beer toward Stevie. She inclines her head slightly as she clinks her bottle to his, and they both take a drink. 

“I _am_ really happy for you, though. Am I allowed to say that much?” Patrick gives Stevie a wry smile.

“Yeah, and you really sound overjoyed.” Stevie’s voice drips with sarcasm, and Patrick opens his mouth to protest, but she cuts him off again. “Save it. You’ve been wearing the wounded puppy look since we got back, so go on and spit it out already. What’s up?”

Patrick flounders, his mouth opening and shutting wordlessly as he oscillates between feigning ignorance and spilling his guts. Despite her biting remarks, Stevie is actually a really good listener and Patrick has found himself confiding in her several times over the course of their friendship. 

“So, apparently, the plan now that you’ve secured this deal is for everyone to move to New York. Were you in on this too?” The words spill out of his mouth before he’s made a conscious decision to speak. 

“What?” Stevie frowns. “Who exactly is moving? And when?”

“Apparently everyone. David came into the store and acted like it was practically a done deal. If you guys secured the deal, the Roses were all going to move to New York.” Patrick can hear the frustration and anger raising in his voice the more he speaks, while his body coils with anxiety.

“Everyone? Everyone is moving? That… makes no sense, Patrick. You’re about to get married. Your business is here.”

“Oh, I know that, Stevie! But apparently, get this — apparently, we’re moving the business to New York. Just like that. And I have no say in the matter, I guess.” Patrick drains his beer and wishes he had another, just so he had something to stop all of his aching, twisting, boiling feelings from pouring out of him like a volcano erupting. 

“David wouldn’t do that to you. He… maybe he just got overexcited. You know how he is.” 

“Yeah. Well, forgive me for being a bit hung up on the idea that my fiancé wants to uproot our entire lives with no consideration for my role in the business, in our relationship, in my own fucking life!” The words explode from his mouth, much louder that Patrick intended, reverberating in his own skull. Stevie recoils slightly, looking startled. 

“Okay, that’s enough. God, you’re both so dramatic.” Stevie throws back the rest of her beer in one long swallow and shoves the bottle harshly to the side. It tips over and rolls across the picnic table, falling over the edge and onto the ground, but Stevie pays it no mind. She doesn’t break eye contact with Patrick for a second, and her gaze is intense and unnerving. Patrick swallows heavily, already feeling slightly ashamed by his outburst. 

“Stevie—” Patrick starts after several long moments where Stevie continues to silently assess him.

“David loved New York.” Stevie finally looks away, instead staring down at the graffiti carved into the picnic table. “He loved the art, the culture, the food, the fashion. He’s missed that a lot since he’s been living here in Schitt’s Creek. He’s adjusted and grown to really love living here — not that he would ever admit to that — but that doesn’t mean he’s stopped missing it. I think he probably would like to share what he loves about New York with you. I think… I think he’d like a chance to blend in again, to not stand out so much. But if you think that means he would _ever_ go forward with something this big if you weren’t on board…”

Stevie trails off with a shake of her head. She traces a finger along the outline of the penis carved into the tabletop. “You know how he gets around his family. Remember the time Alexis convinced him that your relationship was in trouble because of a stupid magazine quiz? Or when his dad made some weird comment about David’s relationship with your parents and David sent your mom so many gifts that she had to call and beg that he stop because she was running out of space in her house? Or how about—”

“Okay, I get it, Stevie.”

“My point is — David sometimes gets caught up in whatever bullshit his family is saying and needs to be reminded to slow down. But if you actually think he hasn’t considered your feelings, I don’t know what to tell you.” Stevie’s eyes slide back to Patrick’s in a hard glare. Patrick considers Stevie one of his closest friends. He knows she has his best interests at heart and is there for him, but he also knows that when it comes down to it, she will always be David’s best friend. Stevie is fiercely protective of David and understands him better than anyone else, including Patrick — as much as he hates to admit that. 

“Okay, that… that all makes sense. I know David didn’t mean harm, and of course I know he considers me when making big decisions. I just…”

Stevie sighs and her face relaxes as she slips out of protective mode and back into Patrick’s friend. “He would hate to know he’s hurt you. You know that, right? David can be a selfish asshole, but he _does_ care. I get that you’re hurt, Patrick. You just need to go talk to him.” 

“Thanks, Stevie.” Patrick smiles and takes her hand across the table, giving it a quick squeeze before Stevie can complain about too much sincerity. “I really am happy for you and Mr. Rose. This is good news, and whether it results in some or all of us moving… Well, I can adjust. Compromise is an important part of every partnership, right? I guess I was just caught off guard.” 

“You just need to talk to him. I’m not sure he even wants to live there as much as he thinks. He really is happy with his life here — with your life here together.”

“What about you? Would you want to move to New York?” Patrick asks, and Stevie raises an eyebrow.

“Me? In New York? I don’t know…”

“You’re a businesswoman now. Maybe you’d like it in the big city.” Patrick notes the change in Stevie’s features. She looks anxious, uncertain, with just a hint of excitement. 

“It’s kind of exhilarating thinking about the possibilities I have now. If we are able to open more motels…” Stevie pushes her hair away from her face as her cheeks pinken slightly. It reminds Patrick of rehearsals for _Cabaret_ when Stevie would nail her lines and run off stage flushed with adrenaline. “I keep thinking about… what if - if I was in charge? Don’t get me wrong – I appreciate everything Mr. Rose has done and what he’s taught me, but I just keep thinking about how if we have more motels than maybe I could be in charge of some.” Stevie ducks her head down and bites her lip, shrugging like it’s only a passing thought. 

“I think you would be really great, Stevie.” Patrick chooses his words carefully. He can see how much this matters to Stevie, how much thought she’s given the prospect, even while she feigns nonchalance. “Stevie, if this is something you want, I am certain that you’ll be incredible.”

“Yeah, alright.” Stevie shrugs again, but her lips twitch in a smile. 

Patrick looks up at the sky. The sun is beginning to set, a pink and orange kaleidoscope painting the horizon. For the first time since David came bursting through the door of their shop this afternoon, Patrick feels his whirring thoughts begin to slow. The tension in his jaw releases and he is finally able to take a deep breath. Patrick is going to marry the love of his life. They can figure out the rest from there.

**Author's Note:**

> come say hi on tumblr [@landofsonlali](https://landofsonlali.tumblr.com/)!


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